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Brennan was CIA chief when a dirt file on Trump leaked, documenting the now-president's ties to Russia and detailing an alleged encounter with prostitutes in a Moscow hotel suite.

The dirt file written by former MI6 spy Christopher Steele was bankrolled by Trump's Republican opponents before funding came from Hillary Clinton's campaign and later, the FBI.

Some of the details in the dossier have been corroborated with other sources, but many are yet unproven.

Trump has been criticised by many within his own party for congratulating Putin on an election win seen by internal observers as riddled with fraud.

Senator John McCain, a former Republican nominee for president, slammed Trump for his comment.

"An American president does not lead the Free World by congratulating dictators on winning sham elections," McCain said.

"And by doing so with Vladimir Putin, President Trump insulted every Russian citizen who was denied the right to vote in a free and fair election to determine their country's future, including the countless Russian patriots who have risked so much to protest and resist Putin's regime."

The Washington Post reported yesterday that Trump had ignored a memo before his call with Putin which stated in capital letters: "DO NOT CONGRATULATE".

In a tweet this morning, Trump defended his actions, saying predecessor Barack Obama had done likewise in 2012.